Northern Plan Area Economic Opportunities and Barriers Study

Hecate Lowlands
Dawsons Landing:
Here there is a public wharf with a DFO float. Post office and a well equipped general
store. Charts, water, ice, gas, diesel and other products are available. It is a service
center for marine tourism and the commercial fisheries.
The Evolution of Economic Development in the Hecate Lowlands:
Historically First Nation populations inhabited the Hecate Lowlands year round. The
availability of food allowed native communities to remain stable and healthy. Villages
were well established and evolved to accommodate food gathering and weather. Reserves
were not designed to integrate the relationship to food gathering and seasonal
communities.
The early 1900s brought the development of canneries to the Hecate Lowlands. This
provided seasonal employment in both fishing and processing. By the 1970s larger boats
with refrigeration units made it possible for fish processing to become centralized and
coastal canneries closed. The closure of the canneries resulted in the collapse of central
coast employment in many communities.
By the 1950s there was an increased interest in the area for sport fishing. Some old
canneries were converted into sport fishing lodges, and with the help of American
celebrities such as John Wayne the Hecate Strait was promoted as an ideal location for
catching “trophy fish”. By the 1980s this area offered some of the best fishing in the
world. These fishing lodges target a high-end clientele who pre-book holidays.
Community development and expansion into the service industry for the centralized
fishing fleet, especially in marine repairs and fuel also brought an increase in marine
tourism.
The economic value of forest harvesting in the Hecate Lowlands has been considered
lower than other areas within the plan and there has been no commercial gathering of
botanicals.
There are guide outfitters and trappers licensed in the Hecate Lowlands. The target
species for the guide outfitters are black bear, grizzly bear, and goat. Local residents
have historically trapped; however, it is on the decline.
Mineral exploration occurred in the 1930s, and a gold mine was opened at Surf Inlet, but
operations ended with the start of World War II. Post war activity was limited to a
limestone quarry, which provided flux to Ocean Falls. This was closed down when the
Ocean Falls’ pulp mill closed. A limestone quarry on Aristazabal is becoming active.
The only other mining activity in the Hecate Lowlands was for clay.
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